Butter-container.



0. B. CROSSETT.

BUTTER CONTAINER.

APPLICATION man JUNE 18, 1am.

I Patented Nov. 12, 1918 INVENTOR WITNESSES 05 634 ATTQRNEY permissible,

OSCAR B. CBOSSETT, OF TOMAH, WISCONSIN.

BUTTER-CONTAINER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1918.

Application filed June 1a, 1918. Serial No. 240,650.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR B. Caossn'rr', a citizen of the United States, residing at Tomah, in the county of Monroe and State of .Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Butter-Container, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to butter containers. The principal object of the invention is to provide a container which is simple in construction and easy to clean, and which will keep butter in a thoroughly sanitary condition.

Another object is to construct a butter container which may be used asfa dispensing can by means of which the amount of butter wanted at one time may be readily cut off into cakes of convenient size and pleasing shape, ready to be placed on the table, leaving the mass of the butter completely protected from germs. l

Referring to the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the butter container with the cover in place;

Fig. 2 is a" longitudinal sectional view of the same with the cover removed;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the indicated direction;

Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of the follower; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the container cover.

In the drawing, the numeral. 10 designates the container as a whole, which as is apparent is a hollow cylinder open at both ends, and provided at one end with the inturned annular flange 11 and at the other end with a cover 17 Slidable within the container is a circular disk,- hereinafter referred to as the follower block 12, whose diameter is such that whlle free movement lengthwise of the cylinder is no appreciable space is left between the eri hery of the disk and the con tainer wal The block 12 in cross-section is piano-concave as Fig. 2 illustrates, having one face 13 plane and the opposite face provided with the concavity or depression 14 surrounded by the plane rim 15. The follower block 12 is set in the main body so as to present its plane face inwardly and its concave face outwardly, with the plane rim 15 adapted to rest against the inslde of the flange 11 and close that end of the container.

Near the opposite end of the cylindrical container are several outstanding lugs 16, which are deslgned to engage with L-shaped grooves 16 provided in the flange 17 of cover 17. As is apparent from the drawing,

the elements 16 and 16 form what is often styled a .bayonet joint or connection. By their employment the cover is securely held upon the container without the use of screw threads.

At the cover end of the container there is also provided a cutter for the butter as it is forced from the can. The cutter, designated by the numeral '18, is nothing more than a wire of the requisite gage and stiffness, attached at one end 19 to the container in any convenient way. When the: cutting wire is not in use it normally lies diametrically across the cover end, and engages near its other end 21 with a notch 20. The latter allows the cover 17 to fit the container tightly without any bulging due to the wire.

The end 21 is preferably looped to form a handle and permit the fingers to grasp the cutter more easily.

The manner in which this invention is used will be clear. With the cover removed and the wire cutter out of the-way, butter or thelike is packed into the container, the follower then resting against the flange 11 and acting as a bottom for the can. The wire is then slipped into its notch and the cover pushed on and turned to a locking position. When butter is wanted, the can is laid on its side, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the cover is removed and the wire is drawn to one side. The user presses with one hand against the follower, the concavity thereof acting to center the push i. 6., enabling the user to determine when his hand is pushing approximately in the center of the follower. -When the amount of butter desired protrudes from the cover end, the operator engages the wire loop with his fingers and pulls the wire toward him, allowing the cutter to cleave to the edge of the can so as to make a smooth, even cut, with no butter extending beyond the can to smear the cover when put on. Each time butter is removed the follower approaches nearer the cover end, until the butter is all used up, when the follower may be pushed to the flan ed end and the container refilled.

T is invention combines the virtues of extreme simplicity with efiiciency. It dispenses the butter as satisfactorily as much more complex devices, keeps the butter sweet and clean, is itself easily Washed, is inexpensive to make being composed of only four parts, and lasts a long time.

One feature to be'especially noted is that the follower acts also as a bottom for the container. Again, the wire cutter while stifi enough to function has flexibility as well, thus allowing the user to curve the wire partly around the butter cake and cut by constriction of the are so formed While the invention is designed to cut butter,it is equally applicable to out cheese and other commodities, especially cottage cheese.

The container may be made of either metal or paper pulp. If made of paper pulp, the construction could be'made cheap enough to give away when the sale of the butter is efieoted. If constructed of metal, such as tin, the container would be returnable to the owners, the same as milk bottles.

What is claimed is" 1. In a butter container, an open-ended body having a supporting flange at one end, a follower block normally supported on the flange and constituting the sole closure for that end of the body, said block being manually movable away from the flange within the body from one end to the other, a cutter at the opposite end of the body, and a re movable cover for said end inclosing said cutter,

weenie 2. lin a butter containerand cutter, a hollow open-ended body havin a supporting flange at one end, a follower b supported on the flange and closing one end ofthe body, said block being manually movable within the body from one end to the other, a wire having one end permanently secured at one side of the other open end of the body, said body having a notch at that end to be engaged by the wire, said wire being adapted to be moved over the open end of the body to cut the butter, a cover having a flange slipped over the open end of the body, and means for holding the cover in place 3. In a butter container, a hollow openended body having an inturned flange at one.

end, a follower block manually movable within the body, a cutter at the opposite end or the body, and a cover for said opposite end inclosing said cutter, said follower block constituting a botton for the body and having its outer face concave, as and for the purpose described,

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, l have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses,

@SCAR B. CBOSSETT,

Witnesses:

H. M. Sowrn, E, (3, Some,-

lcck normally 

